


Through the Years

by nashcreates



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas Fluff, Jalec Secret Santa 2020, M/M, Parabatai Bond, Parabatai Feels, Young Jalec
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:08:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28299474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nashcreates/pseuds/nashcreates
Summary: Jace and Alec through the years!Happy Holidays, Facialteeth! I hope this makes your 2020 a little better! Much love!xoxo,nashcreates
Relationships: Alec Lightwood/Jace Wayland
Comments: 18
Kudos: 23





	1. 10

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Facialteeth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Facialteeth/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All ages are Jace's

He smelled like smoke. Even after 3 baths, he still smelled like smoke. Jonathan did his best to smooth the wrinkles in his shirt, but they kept snagging back to their wrinkled selves. It hadn’t even been a week since the fire. For the first time, Jonathan was completely alone. Even when he was getting punished by his father, he always thought  _ at least somebody is here. _ Not that didn’t love his father, he just didn’t like the pain his father caused him, but now he didn’t even have that. _ I’m all by myself  _ the 10 year old thought. 

“Jonathan,” a voice called from outside the door, “may I come in.”

The boy nodded his head but soon realized the voice couldn’t see his movement. “Yes.”

A man, roughly the same age as his father came into view with a boy a bit older than Jonathan. “Welcome to the New York Institute, Jonathan. I’m Robert,” the man explained with pain lacing his voice. “I’m sorry this is the first time we’ve met. I wish it were under better circumstances.” Jonathan just looked at the man, not knowing who he was. Robert gave a sigh and gestured for the boy behind him. “This is my son, Alec. He’s just a bit older than you, but I know you both will get along very well.”

“Hi,” Alec said, extending his hand forward. 

Jonathan looked intimidated at first but that quickly resolved and he shook the other boy’s hand. “Hi,” he said quietly. 

“We are still preparing your room for you, so for now you’ll be sharing a room with Alec. Is that alright?”

“Yes sir.”

Robert looked down at the child and decided to bend down to his level. “I am very sorry for what happened to your father, Jonathan. He was a very special man, to me especially,” that last part being added hesitantly. “My family and I will take you in as our own. Everything’s going to be alright now, I promise. Okay?”

Jonathan wasn’t sure if he trusted Robert’s statement, but when he looked over at Alec and the boy gave him a little nod, he accepted Robert’s promise. “Okay.”

“Okay,” the older man agreed, rubbing Jonathan’s shoulders and standing up. “Alec, how about you show Jonathan around, hmm? Get him acquainted with his new home.”

Alec smiled and took Jonathan by the wrist, “c’mon, I’ll show you to our room.”

Jonathan followed the ravenette quietly. He was never really a tactile person, but for some reason he felt some sort of way when Alec held onto his wrist. Not a bad feeling, just an unfamiliar feeling. After a few turns and a walk down a long hallway they made it to what seemed to be Alec’s room. “This is our room!” 

“Our room?”

“Well, yeah, our room. I’m sorry I couldn’t clear out any more space for ya. I only found out you were coming yesterday. My parents told me you don’t have any clothes and stuff, so I’m more than willing to share mine til we can get you some.”

_ This is weird _ , Jonathan thought.  _ Why is this boy being so nice to me? _

When Alec saw he wasn’t going to get a response, he decided to continue talking. “Well, I made up a sleeping bag for ya.” Sure enough there was a sleeping bag made on top of the rug with a bunch of pillows. “You can sleep there or I can sleep there and you can take my bed or we can both share my bed.” Alec climbed into his bed and patted a spot next to him. “See, there;s plenty of space for the both of us.”

Jonathan just looked around the room and admired how it was decorated with books and drawings. His father never let him hang his doodles in his room, said it was “too childish.” 

Alec was uncomfortable with how quiet the boy was and wanted to ease his discomfort. “Do you have a nickname or do people just call you Jonathan?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean do your friends call you something for short.”

“Oh,” Jonathan looked down, “I don’t have any friends.”

Alec was not happy with that answer. “Well, I’m your friend. As a matter of fact, I’m going to be your best friend!”  
  
“Really?”

“Yep!”

“Well, how can you be so sure? I’m not liked that much.”

“I don’t see how.”   
  


“You don’t even know me.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” Alec agreed, shuffling off the bed. “But I do intend to if you let me. I want to be your friend, Jace.”

“Jace?”

“Yeah, Jace. It’s my nickname for you.”

“Jace,” Jonathan tested on his tongue. “I like it, a lot actually!”

“I’m glad.” Alec got back on the bed and this time Jace followed him. Alec brushed his shoulder against Jace’s, “you’re not alone anymore. You’re safe.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. 14

“Wake up, parabatai!” 

“Ugh, Jace it’s so early!”

“So what?”

“So, I don’t want to get up,” Alec said grumpily tucking himself back underneath the covers.

“But, it’s Christmas.”  
  
“And it’ll still be Christmas in a few hours when I get up.”  
  


“But everyone else will be up then.”

“So what, Jace,” Alec huffed, giving up all hope of going back to sleep. He still had the sheets drawn close to his body but he was propped against his headrest with his pillows. Jace climbs into bed with him and lays his head on Alec’s shoulder. He smells like honey and it makes Alec’s young heart flutter, and much to his embarrassment, it also gets the blood flowing, but Jace doesn’t seem to notice, thank the angel. 

“Everyone else will be up, and I wanted to give you your gift without everyone else around.” 

Alec couldn’t believe how sentimental his parabatai could be at times; it only made his crush that much harder to get over. Jace would never love him that way, and even if he did The Clave would never allow a relationship to be had amongst parabatai. They said it was too dangerous. “Wanna give it to me now?”

“That was kinda the point of waking you up, Lightwood.”

“Whatever, Wayland. What did you get me,” Alec laughed. 

“Here,” Jace said, pulling something from his back that Alec hadn’t noticed.

Alec was always eager to open a gift, especially if it was from his parabatai. Jace knew him well. He tore through the paper with excitement, but his brow lowered in curiosity. 

“It’s a photo album,” Jace explained as Alec slowly flipped through the book. “I wasn’t really sure what to get you this year, but I don’t know. I guess I thought this would be a good year to have all the memories we’ve made so far in one place. You know, one last hurrah to commemorate becoming parabatai this year!”

Alec’s eyes burned with tears of joy as he took in every picture, reliving the memory of each of them. Without thinking, he kissed Jace, but Jace pulled back for it to only really be considered a peck. 

Alec blushed and closed himself off in embarrassment. Jace held a hand to his mouth like he had been burned. In the four years Alec had known Jace, he had never seen the expression that the boy wore now: fear.

Jace couldn’t get out of bed quick enough. He stumbled his way out of the sheets and hurriedly got out the room.

_ Merry Christmas to me. I just ruined everything. _ Alec huffed and pulled the sheets over his head. He didn’t even bother coming down for the family to open gifts until Izzy practically dragged him out of bed hours later, and there was Jace on the opposite side of the room trying so hard to simultaneously engage and disengage. No matter how hard he tried, Jace was not letting him through the bond. 


	3. 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some dialogue is taken from the tv show.

Alec had to admit that there were very few places he wanted to escape from, but being in Magnus Banes’ loft to regain the little girl’s memories took the cake. 

Clary had been nothing but a thorn in his side since she showed up, and it had barely been a week. Now he was here, helping her, against his will he might add, to regain her memories so they could save her mother, find the cup and stop Valentine. To make matters even worse, Jace was following her around like a sick puppy. It was disgusting. 

“You know, if you try harder, you might actually be successful at killing her with that glare of yours, big brother,” Izzy lovingly teased. 

Alec rolled his eyes and huffed. “I don’t like this.”

“You don’t like that we have to do this for Clary or you don’t like that she is hitting on Jace? What? Don’t glare at me, you know I’m right.”

“Just shout it from the rooftop, why don’t ya, Iz!”

“Alec,” she called as he began to walk away, “Alec, I’m sorry.” Alec stopped and Izzy caught up. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. It’s just, I don’t like seeing you unhappy.” She looked over towards Clary and Jace’s direction. “She’s not all that bad, but you should tell him how you feel if you ever want a shot.”  
  
“You know I can’t, Iz. We would be banished if the Clave even had the slightest suspicion.”

“The Clave is changing.”

“It hasn’t changed that much.”

“It-”

“Is everyone ready,” Magnus called promptly, interrupting the debate between the Lightwood siblings. 

“Let’s get this over with,”Alec said, stocking towards the warlock and leaving Izzy to trail behind. 

They all formed into a circle and locked hands. “Remember, do not let go of each other’s hands no matter what happens, or else that will release the demon,” Magnus instructed. He then began to chant. The demon was summoned. “He’s among us. Do not break the bond,” Magnus shouted. “It is time. The demon demands payment.”

“What does it want,” Alec shouted back.

“We must each relinquish a beloved memory of the one we love the most,” Magnus replied back.

“No, it’s not true. The demon deceived me!”

“Do not break the bond!”

“Alec, it’s ok!” Izzy did her best to console her brother without letting go, but it was of no use.

Alec let go, “no!”

**___**

Once Alec was sure Jace was alright, he ran. He wasn’t sure where he was going but he couldn’t be anywhere near Jace. Not in the same room. Not in the same building. Angels, maybe not even the same state. 

Once Alec’s legs couldn’t go any further, he fell onto a bench and sobbed. Thank the angel he was glamoured; he did not feel like dealing with mundanes. 

“Alec!”

Just great, the last person he wanted to see. “Go away, Jace.”

“Shouldn’t you be with the litt- Clary.”

“No,” Jace said, sounding hurt, “why?”

“Because you love her!”

“I what?”

“Oh don’t play dumb with me,” Alec said trying to wipe his tears away. “I see the way she looks at you. And you,” he scuffed, “you bend to her every beck and call.”  
  
“That’s not true.”  
  


“Isn’t it?” Alec had finally had enough. He snapped. “Ever since she’s come into our lives, it’s been one thing after another.” He began mimicking Clary’s voice: “Help me, Jace! Save me, Jace! Make it better, Jace!”

“Stop it, Alec,” Jace uttered, trying to not fall into the rise his parabatai was baiting him with. 

“All she has to do is bat her eyes and you’re putty in her hand.”

“Alec, stop!”

Both were shocked by the fact Jace yelled at Alec. His own parabatai. 

“See, what I mean.”

Jace came to sit down next to Alec and when he was sure Alec wasn’t going to run away, he slid closer until their shoulders were touching. “I’m not mad about the memory.”

Alec looked pained. “You should be.”

“Why?”

“Because it was of us, of us…”

“Kissing,” Jace finished quietly.

Alec’s eyes burned with tears again. “She’s going to tell everyone.”  
  
“And why would she do that?” Alec didn’t have an answer. “See, she won’t. I know she won’t. Why don’t you trust her?”

“Why do you? Jace, it’s been nothing but trouble since Clary’s arrived. She might not be a bad person, but she doesn't know anything. She’s ignorant to our customs and refuses to listen.”

Jace just nodded and kept quiet for a moment. New York was unusually peaceful tonight. “I don’t like her.”

“What?”

“I said ‘I don’t like her.’”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you said I loved her, and well, I don’t like her, so how can I love her?”

“But you’ve been spending so much time with her, Jace,” Alec said confused. 

“Yeah, well it’s because she reminds me of me.”   
  


“What do you mean?”

“She came into the Shadow World with nobody. She has no family. For all we know, her mom is already dead and it’s too late to save her.” Jace swallowed the lump in his throat. “When I came here, to you guys, I had no one as well. That was until you showed up, Alec. You became my family. That’s all I want to do for her. Besides, I’m already in love with someone else,” Jace admitted. “Have been for a while now,” he added quietly. 

Being the good parabatai that he is, Alec asked who despite knowing he was going to get his heartbroken anyways. 

“You.”


	4. 21

A lot had changed in the four years since Jace confessed to being in love with Alec, but like always they had grown. Jace admitted to having to work through his internalized homophobia and fears of not being good enough for Alec, and Alec admitted that he also had to work through his fears of not being good enough for Jace. Yet, here they were, three years strong in a loving relationship. 

Jace peppered kisses down Alec’s naked torso as first light came seeping in through the curtains. Still not a morning person, Alec huffed. “What? It’s too early!”

“I gotta go before someone notices,” Jace said, though he made no move to get out of bed. 

“No,” Alec whined, wrapping his body around his boyfriend. “Stay.”

“You know I want to, but I can’t. Someone could see.”

“I don’t care.”

“Uh huh, that’s just the sleep talking, Mr. Head of the Institute.”

Alec pouted, knowing his boyfriend was right. He ran his hand through Jace’s soft golden hair. “I wish we didn’t have to hide. Our love is so great, I want to share it with the world.”

“As do I, baby, but we can’t.”

“I know, angel, I know. I just can’t help but to wish, you know?”

Jace sighed and made his way out of the bed. He kissed Alec’s forehead as he put his pants on. “I do, love, but it’s simply the matter of we can’t.”

“When have you ever followed the rules,” Alec teased.

Jace just chuckled as he pulled on his shirt. “Whenever it comes to protecting our love, I do.”

Alec leaned his forehead against Jace’s. “I love you angel, so much.”

“I love you too.”

“So much it hurts.”

“I know the feeling.” As much as he didn’t want to, Jace pulled away and quietly made his way back to his room before either of them could get caught. 

Having their relationship be a secret outside of their friends was taking a toll on them. They didn’t want to hide any longer. They didn’t want to hide quick kisses or sneak a hand hold on their own home, but the longer they were together, the longer it felt like the Shadow World was no longer home. Jace was only 21, Alex 23, and yet they both have witnessed and suffered a life of sorrow that last could generations. The Clave was not very LGBTQ+ friendly, others, such as Magnus, who were not Shadowhunters didn’t have to worry as much about being queer since they were already ostraziced for being a different species. Jace and Alec as well as others in their generation were working and pushing for change, especially since they were holding authoritative positions now, but the Shadow World wasn’t changing quick enough. Living a secret life was becoming a burden. 

Jace knew he wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep now that he didn’t have Alec’s arm around him, so he got into the shower and started his day. Shower, train, breakfast, meetings, lunch, go over files, train again, patrol, shower again, write a report on patrol, dinner, train once again, and then bed. Life as a soldier was so mundane, so why not actually be a mundane?

Jace looked up and wiped the water off his face as the water head kept beating warm water down.  _ Be mundane? _ The thought had never crossed his mind before but now that it was there, it just made sense. From what he had heard from Clary and Simon, the mundane world was more accepting of a love like his and Alec, and even in recent years, they would be able to get married and have it recognized. They wouldn’t have to hide if they were mundane... If only they were mundane.

  
  
  



	5. 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Redeye is Matt's favorite coffee order.

They escaped and never looked back. They had been living a mundane life for the past two years. Izzy and Magnus would come and visit often. Clary and Simon would visit too, but since they knew the mundane lifestyle, it wasn’t that much different for them as it was for Izzy and Magnus. All of them, plus Luke, aided them in their escape. They faked their deaths, rogue werewolf attack. The story wasn’t entirely hashed out in terms of what happened to who but the Clave and the rest of the Shadow World thought that one of the parabatai was killed and then the other died due to half of their soul being ripped from their body. Bodies were never found, so everyone just thought the werewolves tore the bodies to shreds. Max also knew the truth, but to everyone else, even Maryse and Robert, Jace and Alec had died two years ago. 

Jace was buzzing with excitement. He and Alec had been together for four years, and he had finally gained the courage to ask for Alec’s hand. They had a stable life and a nice little home. Jace worked at a nonprofit organization for orphans and Alec worked at a training facility. Jace would spend his days playing with the kids and organizing donations and Alec would train every age in hand to hand combat, archery, sword fighting, and sparring. The kids would love to hear Jace’s “elaborate” stories of angels and demons and fairies and people who lived in the shadows. They’d always ask about his “tattoos” and he would just say he really liked the way they looked, never giving an explicit answer. Alec would also be asked about his runes and he just passed them off as tattoos and no one even cared to pry for a meaning. Alec’s coworkers just passed him having multiple tattoos as being a millennial. He still didn’t quite get what that meant, but as long as they weren’t asking questions, Alec didn’t care. 

“Wake up, sleepy head!”

“Jace, it will still be Christmas in a few hours! Let me sleep.”

“No!”

“Yes.”

“No!”

“Jace!”

“Alec!” His boyfriend huffed being woken up. “I can’t wait any longer. I might actually burst.”

“What’s got you so excited? You’ve never been this enthusiastic about the holidays before.”

“Because I finally get to make up for that Christmas all those years ago.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Remember that Christmas when I was 13,” Jace said bowing his head, still ashamed of his reaction. 

“Yes,” Alec replied softly, remembering the Christmas he kissed Jace, “we’ve talked this out before, angel. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I know, but I always felt like I needed to make it up to you, and I finally figured out how I can.”

“Alright,” Alec relented seeing that this was something Jace had to do. 

“Come downstairs with me!” Jace dragged Alec out of the bed and to their kitchen where he had prepared Alec’s favorite, fresh toast with fresh fruit and a redeye. 

“Wha- when did you have the time to make all this?”

“I’ve been up since early this morning.”

“Clearly, and it’s only 7. How long have you been up?”

“Since 4.”

“Jace,” Alec chided.

“What? I told you I was excited, call it nervous energy.”

“Why are you so nervous?”

Because,” the blond took a breath, “of this.” He pulled a velvet black box from his pajama pocket and got down on one knee. Alec froze in shock, but not before he let out a gasp.  “Entreat me not to leave thee, Or return from following after thee— For whither thou goest, I will go, And where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried. The Angel do so to me, and more also, If aught but death part thee and me.” Jace took another shaky breath to steady himself so he could get through the rest of his speech, “Alec, you are my world, my life, and have been since I was 10. I know our souls are already bound for eternity, but I want to make it more official.” He opened the box. “Will you, Alexander Gideon Lightwood, do me the honor of becoming my husband? Please, marry me.”

Alec was crying and nodding his head so much that Jace thought he’d get a crick. “Yes, angel. It’s a yes!” Jace laughed through his tears of joy and placed the ring on Alec’s finger once he stood back up. “It’s beautiful, thank you,” Alec leaned in to give Jace a kiss. 

“Anything for you, baby. I had it engraved with the wedded union rune. Even though we left the Shadow World, it’s still a part of us, and this is my way of saying that I still got to marry my parabatai, the love of my life, despite their obscene laws,” Jace explained, pointing out the engraving. 

Alec just cried even more. “It’s perfect, you’re perfect!”

“No, you’re perfect. Perfect for me!”

“Merry Christmas, angel!”

“Merry Christmas, Alec!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Facialteeth, I hope you enjoyed your gift! I had a good time writing it! :) 
> 
> Happy Holidays everyone! I have so much love for the AO3 community, so I appreciate each and everyone of you who has read a fic of mine!


End file.
